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New research findings on pulmonary and critical care medicine at American Thoracic Society meeting

ATS Meeting in Seattle May 16 - 21

During the six-day meeting, more than 15,000 pulmonary and critical care physicians, scientists, nurses, therapists, health educators, medical administrators, and policymakers from throughout the world will hear and discuss more than 5,500 original research presentations. Informational updates will be given by world-renowned experts on topics such as the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer, asthma, allergies, tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis, genetics and lung disease, sleep disorders, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and various other illnesses of the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems in children and adults. Additional sessions will offer multiple discussions and presentations on treatments for critically ill patients.

Among the original research findings to be presented at the meeting are the following studies:

• After surveying a large group of 8- to 11-year-old children for the East Bay Children's Respiratory Health Study, investigators found that there were associations between bronchitis/asthma and several traffic-related pollutants found near their homes and schools, including nitrogen oxides and black carbon.

• The relationship between asthma and anxiety disorders was studied by comparing the medical histories and tests taken by 30 first-degree relatives of asthma patients with those of 30 control subjects without asthma. The researchers found that first-degree relatives of asthma patients had significantly higher lifetime psychiatric illness and functional somatic syndromes than did the controls. They believe that their pilot study showed there is a true association between asthma and psychiatric illness.

• In a study of 3,428 persons admitted to an intensive care unit on weekends, medical scientists observed a 13.6 percent mortality rate for weekend patients, as contrasted with a 6.9 percent rate for patients admitted on a weekday.

• In a one-year follow-up comparison of patients who received organs from donors over age 50, as contrasted with those who received organs from donors under 50, researchers found donor age had no statistically significant effect on: lung function parameters, the amount of hospitalization required, or the incidence of transplant rejection syndrome. Also, donor age had no significant effect on the survival of transplant recipients.

• In another study, investigators wanted to determine whether an "electronic nose" (a gaseous chemical sensing and identification device) could detect lung cancer on the basis of complex "smell prints." They found that the exhaled breath of lung cancer patients had distinctive characteristics that could be identified with the electronic nose.

• Researchers tested 62 male elite athletes to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma, and to compare them with normal control subjects. Among the 19 cyclists, 24 ice hockey players, and 19 swimmers, the prevalence of respiratory symptoms ranged from 34 to 44 percent, as contrasted to an incidence of 14 to 21 percent for the controls. Among the athletes, 21 percent had current asthma, with only a 7 percent illness rate for control subjects.

• Investigators followed a birth cohort of 1,037 New Zealanders to age 26, with detailed respiratory histories at two-year intervals to age 15, then at 18, 24, and 26 years of age. They concluded that approximately one-third of the young people who had asthma diagnosed in childhood but had no symptoms at age 18 would experience a recurrence of symptoms by age 26.

In addition to the many original research findings to be presented at the meeting, other sessions at the conference will include:

• Various symposia with speakers will focus on a variety of topics, including: results from the Inner City Asthma Study • the effects of sleep apnea on vigilance and cognition • results of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial • inhaled bioterrorism agents • asthma in Latinos • the respiratory health effects of molds • proven therapies to increase survival in severe sepsis patients.

• During the Clinical Topics in Pulmonary Medicine Track, experts will discuss such topics as: • emerging issues in drug-induced lung disease • recent advances in tropical pulmonary medicine • idiopathic nonspecific interstitial pneumonia • unexplained dyspnea (severe breathlessness) • cystic fibrosis in adults • work-ups for potentially operable lung cancer • an update on sarcoidosis.

• In the Critical Care Track, presentations will include sessions on: • ventilator-induced lung injury • high frequency oscillatory ventilation • five special problems in the ICU: cirrhosis, alcohol abuse, pregnancy, HIV, and care of the elderly • a new understanding of metabolic disturbances in the critically ill patient • new findings on non-invasive ventilation.

The meeting's Advance Program, registration forms, and over 5,500 original scientific abstracts are available online at www.thoracic.org.

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